Explosion rocks Chhattisgarh Factory; 1 dead, 6 injured

BEMETARA: One person was killed and at least six were injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district on Saturday, officials said.

The explosion occurred in the unit located near Pirda village in Berla development block, a district administration official said.

Soon after being alerted, police and rescue teams were rushed to the site, he said.

"While six persons injured in the blast were taken to Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital Raipur for treatment, one person was brought dead," Public Relations Officer of the hospital Shubhra Singh told PTI.

The injured persons are undergoing treatment, she added.

Talking to reporters at the blast site, Bemetara Collector Ranbir Sharma said fire brigade teams and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been deployed.

The picture will be clearer after 3-4 hours once the debris at the site is removed, he said.

Six injured persons have been shifted to Raipur for treatment, he added.

Some eyewitnesses told local news channels that at least 100 people were working in the explosives manufacturing factory when the blast happened. They claimed several people were missing and feared trapped under the debris.

The incident comes days after a blast in a chemical factory in Maharashtra's Thane district killed nine persons and injured over 60.